Murders this Week: 8; Murders this Year: 85

Anna Ditkoff

For the second time in May, more people were murdered than there are days in the week.

Tuesday, May 22

12:16 a.m. Police were called to the 600 block of North Carey Street in Harlem for a man shot in an apartment. When they arrived, the apartment door was open and a 58-year-old African-American man was seen lying in a corner of the room in a pool of blood. He had been shot in the head, limb, and torso. He was taken to a city hospital, where he died less than an hour later. Police are waiting until the man’s family has been notified of his death to release his name. Dominick Brooks, a 24-year-old African-American man, was arrested the next day and charged with the murder.

Wednesday, May 23

8:44 p.m. A teenage girl called 911. Her father, Tavon Fredrick, a 35-year-old African-American man, had been shot in the head during a home invasion. Several people had forced their way into Fredrick’s home in the 3300 block of Westerwald Avenue in Waverly through the rear kitchen door of the home. When police arrived they saw signs of struggle throughout the house, with furniture and other items knocked over. Fredrick was dead in an upstairs bedroom. His daughter, who was at home during the attack, was not shot during the incident.

Thursday, May 24

6:04 p.m. A police officer patrolling the Shipley Hill neighborhood was flagged down and told that there had been a shooting in the 2500 block of West Fayette Street. Three people had been shot while sitting on a porch. A 47-year-old African-American man was shot in the leg, a 55-year-old African-American man was shot in the upper body, and Jacqueline Laster, a 47-year-old African-American woman, was shot in the head. The two men survived. Laster died at an area hospital at 5:01 p.m. on May 25.

6:34 p.m. James Shird, an 18-year-old African-American man, was discovered lying face up in a pool of blood in an alley behind the 4600 block of York Road just south of Cold Spring Lane. He had been shot repeatedly in the head and was dead.

7:59 p.m. Nearly two hours after the triple shooting on Fayette Street, three more people were gunned down. Gunmen came out of an alley onto the 2600 block of East Preston Street and opened fire on three people sitting on some steps. A 59-year-old African-American woman was shot in the foot, a 31-year-old African-American man was also hit, and Andre Curry, a 28-year-old African-American man, was shot several times in the chest. All three were taken to local hospitals. The woman and the 31-year-old man survived. Curry died at 8:35 p.m.

Saturday, May 26

1:27 a.m. Police stopped a car driving the wrong way down a one-way street near the intersection of Pall Mall Road and Oakford Avenue. The driver, Lanell Ausby, a 22-year-old African-American man, told police he was been shot in chest and stomach. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died five hours later. Police believe he was actually shot in the 2500 block of North Edgecombe Circle.

1:29 a.m. Two minutes later, Dwaune Evans, a 26-year-old African-American man, was shot in the chest in the 600 block of Pitcher Street near the Shake and Bake Family Fun Center. He managed to make his way two blocks to the 1200 block of North Fremont Avenue before he collapsed. Evans died at a city hospital at 2 a.m. This is the fourth murder in Upton and the seventh in the Central Police District this year.

Sunday, May 27

11:48 a.m. Olivia Palmer, a 6-month-old African-American girl, died at an area hospital. On May 22 at 11:39 a.m., medics were sent to the 1600 block of East Coldspring Lane near Morgan State University because a baby there was not breathing. Palmer had a head injury and was rushed to the hospital. There were signs of previous injuries. She died five days later. Police are waiting for the results of an autopsy for the exact cause of death but it is being considered a homicide. She is the second infant murdered this year.

Update:

On May 23, William Carr, a 50-year-old African-American man, was sentenced to life in prison plus 25 years for the murder of Chong Wan Yim, a 55-year-old Korean man. Yim was making a delivery to a shopping center in the 3900 block of Erdman Avenue at 3 p.m. on June 28, 2011 when Carr tried to rob him. According to the State’s Attorney’s Office, the shopping center was busy at the time and many patrons watched Yim and Carr struggle. During the robbery, Carr shot Yim in the chest, killing him.